Rape suspect’s son held for helping pa flee

HIS FATHER’S KEEPER Dennis Laping (left) was booked on April 26, 2017, while his son John Erick had his turn on Tuesday. —Photos courtesy of QCPD

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has arrested the son of a former school volleyball coach who is facing charges for raping a minor, saying he prevented officers from serving an arrest warrant on his father on Tuesday.

John Erick Laping, 24, was booked for obstruction of apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders after his actions enabled his 44-year-old father Dennis to escape, the QCPD said.

The Antipolo City Regional Trial Court Branch 99 issued the warrant in August last year against the elder Laping, who had been charged with rape on three counts.

Police said Dennis Laping also had a standing warrant for failure to appear in hearings before Marikina City Regional Trial Court Branch 192, where he faces charges for five counts of statutory rape and two counts of sexual abuse in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act. He was  released on bail but had since stopped attending the hearings despite due notice.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, QCPD director, said authorities had been monitoring the Laping residence on Tandang Sora Avenue Extension in Barangay Old Balara, after the suspect reportedly went into hiding.

They recently received a tip that Dennis had returned home for the New Year celebration.

Around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, which was also the suspect’s birthday, members of the QCPD’s Batasan station spotted him standing outside his home and moved in for the arrest.

But the suspect ran back inside while his son John Erick locked the compound’s steel gate and prevented the arrest party from entering, Eleazar said.

This allowed the suspect to slip out of the premises, the official added.

Dennis was a former volleyball coach at Our Lady of Succor Perpetual College in Marikina City.

He was first arrested by the Marikina police in April last year after he brought a 12-year-old student to his house and allegedly tried to rape her.

According to case records, the minor had told her mother how Dennis allegedly molested her in a motel in Antipolo at least seven times, between February and April, and that he asked the girl to take contraceptive pills to prevent pregnancy.

The victim’s family has offered a P100,000 reward to anyone who could lead authorities to the suspect’s whereabouts. Eleazar said informants may contact the family at 0945-4636430.